News-Miner Editorial
Question candidates
Help us put your issues in front of our future mayor
Published Friday, October 9, 2009
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Stumble It!Now it’s down to two candidates: Luke Hopkins and Tammie Wilson.
But it’s not down to them alone. You, our readers, have a role, and we’d like your help.
We’d like to get together with you in covering these two candidates for mayor of the Fairbanks North Star Borough. We want you to help shape our coverage of the candidates. What issues should we ask them about? What’s important to you?
Perhaps it’s a big issue, such as education funding, the tax on plastic shopping bags or air quality. Or it might be something smaller and more localized, like land development in certain parts of the borough. Or maybe it’s something to do with junkyards. Or it could be more philosophical, like wanting to know how a candidate who wants smaller government would work toward that if elected. Or what, if any, influence large contributions from special interest groups would have on the winning candidate.
The runoff election is Nov. 3 since no candidate surpassed the 40 percent threshold in Tuesday’s voting. That means the two candidates won’t have much rest coming off Tuesday’s voting.
And it means voters won’t have much rest, either.
The candidates will be out knocking on doors, giving media interviews, sending out mailers and advertising on radio and television and in the newspaper.
They want your vote, so they should answer your questions.
Let us know what’s on your mind, and we’ll work your questions for the candidates into our coverage.
Contact us at newsroom@newsminer.com with your questions for the candidates. Be sure to include your name and telephone number in case we need to clarify something with you.
We look forward to your help in this important local election.
Community Discussion
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Maybe its time for the day of the woman.
How about, are you willing to forgo your salary as borough Mayor to show people you are more interested in the betterment of this community than making almost a six figure salary from a job that is primarily done by six assistants? While you are at it, how about doing with some of the assistants.
OK, I'll play. Questions for the candidates:
Although the borough does not provide fire protection, it is responsible for providing prehospital emergency medical services, and collects a tax (the so-called "9-1-1 tax"), for doing so. Currently EMS services are contracted to the various local fire departments, leaving those of us who reside outside of fire districts with unacceptably long response times. If elected, what will you do to ensure than outlying communities receive a timely response to medical emergencies, especially Two Rivers, Haystack Mountain and Himilaya Road?
If elected, what will you do to ensure the preservation and assist in the maintenance of trails used by snowmachiners, four-wheelers, bicyclists, equestrians, dog mushers and pedestrians throughout the borough?
If elected, what will you do to improve the borough's dog pound and ensure that the animal control division performs their role enforcing animal cruelty ordinances?
If elected, what will you do to establish public transportation in the outlying regions of the borough?
That's enough for now. I'm sure I'll think of more later.
FreeDarfur, I've appreciated our exchanges, and your posts, but abandoning a salary is not the caliber of discussion for which we should aim. That type of talk was jettisoned, long ago, by the media and local parties. The job is term-limited and under high scrutiny.
If we want a full-time elected official (as has been the topic in North Pole and Juneau) you pay accordingly. If we want a citizen-oriented system, great, but you get the part-time effect to go with it and an entirely different slate of candidates.
How about what would you do to lower the 14th highest property tax in the United States without introducing new taxes? How about, Mr. Hopkins exactly who was the partner of the Port Authority they claimed ruined their application. As Secretary you should know. Or will you use "confidentiality" and refuse to tell the public. If willing not to disclose to the public, what else will you keep secret? By the way Hopkins has a pension from the State, so why would he need another salary. The fact is neither candidate needs the salary, it would be a show of good will to refuse it or to donate it. If we are paying a salary, we need a borough manager who knows what they are doing. the Mayor should be a ceremonial position and a small stipend.
This should be interesting. How will the FNM Editorial board play an election that pits a far left candidate against a far right candidate. Anyone want to bet if there may just be a tad bit of biased interpretation on FNM's part?
- What's your position on just imposing random special interest taxes on the people, something the people should be deciding on?
- What's your take on a federal agency, backed by faulty "science" uncorroborated by independent study, coming in and telling your constituents they need to spend money they don't have?
- Tell me, if air quality is really such an issue here, then why is anyone even considering repealing the I/M program? Or suggesting the option of "clean" (give me a break!) coal? Or allowing local businesses and borough entities to continue the burning of used automotive lubricants?
- In these times of financial hardship, do you think- maybe- your constituents would like to see less spending by the government, or more? Do you think your constituents might appreciate seeing you downsize your personal staff, miscellaneous spending, travel, etc, or do you think they'd applaud your excess?
- By accepting this position do you consider yourself a "leader" or a "public servant"? Do the people work for you, or do you work for the people?
- One last question: How do you think you look when you support a stupid move, then, in the midst of your campaign for office, suddenly change your position to mirror public sentiment? Do you think that makes you look principled, or do you think- maybe- that makes you look like a self serving politician?
Let's ask Tammie Wilson to be more forthcoming about her bio. Very sketchy. We know very little about her. She is a business owner-what is the business? Property manager-we would like to know more. People are making an important decision and they deserve to know more.
Here's the question I just e-mailed them. (The crux of it is the third paragraph.)
***
Social capital, which is written about most notably by Robert Putnam in Bowling Alone, is considered a source of personal and social wealth. It is measured by the density of an individual’s and a community’s social connections, by the degree of organizational membership and social or civic participation. Greater social capital is linked with greater health, increased public safety, improved educational outcomes, and less corrupt, more efficient local government.
In a recent Fairbanks lecture, Lewis Feldstein (who co-authored a book with Putnam on social capital) named three things governments can do to enable the growth of social capital: (1) have people drive less and get out of their cars more; (2) foster smaller institutions (like schools); and (3) encourage service learning among young people.
What have you done, in a political capacity, to foster social capital? And what will you do as mayor to foster the growth of social capital in the Fairbanks North Star Borough? Please refer to actions within the purview of the Mayor's office.
***
(Originally posted on my blog, The Fairbanks Pedestrian: http://fairbankspedestrian.wordpress.com...)
Whatever happens during this run-off, it better stay civil and issues-based. The last time it got unnecessarily ugly, and false, a Juneau staffer lost a job.
Given that under our form of government, the mayor is the CEO--there is not a professional manager as there is in some other places--what is your management style and experience? What is your experience with legal matters, government contracting and union negotiations?
Are you willing to support a budget to fully fund the Animal Shelter to provide quality service and provide the legal backup to prosecute cruelty and neglect cases properly? Do you oppose or support entangling the borough in costly legal matters for ideological reasons that do little to improve local life? Where do you stand on FEDCO?
How much FNSB borough funds has been illegally transfered to the Port Authority
alaska4obama
My wife and I would like to know,did you vote for Sarah Palin?
why do you want to be mayor? what do you want to achieve as mayor. what do you think the role of the borough should be? what are your priorities? why should i vote for you?
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FreeDarfur - You said "By the way Hopkins has a pension from the State, so why would he need another salary. "
But, did you know, Mr. Hopkins drives a small, old, very beat up truck? Older and more beat up than mine.
alaska4obama Let's ask Tammie Wilson to be more forthcoming about her bio. Very sketchy. We know very little about her. She is a business owner-what is the business? Property manager-we would like to know more. People are making an important decision and they deserve to know more.
NOW YOU"RE TALKING - She is hiding some very ugly stuff. Property ownership is public information. Ya'll should look into her so called 'Property'. Go see for yourselves!
BrickWhiteCastle - Oh you're good. You made me laugh right out loud. Very well said! Indeed!
mr_one_more_time: "alaska4obama
My wife and I would like to know,did you vote for Sarah Palin?"
What's up with you? I just looked at your previous posts (56 since Sept. 8) and in almost every one of them, you say, "My wife and I would like to know..." Do you two read the paper together, form the exact same question, and then you type it in, or what? Can't your wife write her own questions?
And why would you ask someone WHO they voted for, let alone Palin?
And BrickWhitecastle, very interesting... Where did you get this information? I tried to research Wilson before the election, but couldn't find anything. She was soooo vague on her website, etc, and it was bothering me that she wasn't more forthcoming. Can you cite something?
Also, I just made a big mistake on another thread. I tried to research whether or not the borough assembly members got paid, because I didn't think they did, and found NOTHING, so I wrote that they were volunteers, like members of borough commissions, etc. Where can I find salary info on borough assembly members?
krissy, $600 a month and health benefits is what an assembly member gets and if they hang around long enough, pension benefits. Hopkins as part of the Port Authority thought they had their application in the bag with Palin who they supported for Governor and Tom Irwin as Director of Natural resources. Hopkins role in the Port Authority leads to many questions he needs to answer. The Port Authority has been for far to long a secret organization that has used tax payers money for the interest of a few. Hopkins saying cheap energy in the form of gas is the biggest misrepresentation being told. Even Muskowski came out today and said the pipeline is no longer a reality. Hopkins come clean and tell the public the truth about the Port Authority and all their "secret partners" that they hide from the public by using confidentiality agreements. Hopkins, who are you in bed with as secretary of this group.
FreeDarfur - echo your concerns. If Wilson is elected we just might find out a little more about the FNSB/Port Authority connection.
Do you have a source for those claims, Darf, or are they like the rest of your "statistics?"
Seriously, do you have any evidence that Hopkins and the AGPA are holding secret meetings? That they are conspiring to do anything? That they are "in bed with" anybody? Anything at all?
I could just as well claim that Tammie Wilson is a secret lover of President Obama and it would be just as logical to believe without evidence as what you're saying,
FreeDarfur - I don't understand why Hopkins would have supported Palin for Governor. Your allegations are serious, tho, so if you have proof of these things, you should file a formal complaint against him. Why wait and see who's elected? If you have evidence, turn it over to the mayor and mail copies to the assembly. If you don't have evidence, or proof of any kind, then you should stop making accusations against the guy.
And DNM - why take BrickWhitecastle's comments down and not Darfur's? Should we take any inference from the fact that you took one down but not the other?
krissy -
I think it was the difference in the way BrickWhiteCastle phrased her questions, opinions, and dislikes, and maybe her particularly venomous and denigrating form of name-calling.
The DNM staff appears to have no problem with the questions themselves; they've left up other posts asking the same questions, essentially.
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